Many might think that work is work, whether it’s done at the office or home, and that the rules don’t change in case of a work-home transition. That’s not the case, however. Things change dramatically from office to work.
At office you’re under the social pressure of working in a certain way. You’re also openly under the pressure of deadlines, and are easily within access of the supervisor. At home, you’re under no such pressure. You’re almost like your own boss at home. There’s no one you’re reporting to there, and you’re unlikely to be held accountable for your work on the day, at least not face-to-face.
Since things change in this transition, working from home requires a change in approach. You’ll need certain simple house rules to help you work from home successfully. Here are 6 daily habits that you should incorporate in your lifestyle.
1. Work only at a personalized home office.
At home, it might be tempting to stretch your arms and legs on the couch and relax with a notebook and laptop nearby to do your work. If you give into this temptation however, you’ll end up either dilly dallying or taking a nap. The key to being productive at home is to simulate a work-like environment at a corner in your house. You should have a proper work desk, which is inspiring and set up to encourage high productivity, and you should work from there like you’d work at the office.
2. Start and stop work at clearly defined work times.
Being at home you might feel like starting and stopping work whenever you please. While this might seem like the natural choice — you’re working from home after all, you should start and stop work at around the same time every day even while working from home. This in-and-out time for home helps you clearly focus on your work when it’s time to work. A fluid timing in the day would blur the lines between work and play in the day, and your productivity would suffer as a result.
3. Plan out your work for the day.
Like how you’d do at work, you have to plan out your work for the day at home. Which tasks would you complete today, and in what order? How long do you intend to take to complete all your different tasks? Deciding these things in the morning can help you work at ease during the day, as you’ll only have to focus on executing your plans, as opposed to thinking about which tasks to do at different times in the day and making quickfire decisions on reacting to external stimuli.
4. Be dressed for work, even if you’re at home.
Sitting at home, working in a faded t-shirt and loose shorts is comfortable, and probably why you opt for the work-from-home option in the first place. But by working in such clothes, you’re giving your brain the wrong signal. How you dress affects you psychologically. Working in tattered clothes makes you seem like you’re not ready for work. The point is not to dress formally or very well. Just keep things casual and cozy — even a nice t-shirt and a well-fitting shorts is cool. That’ll help you look and feel ready to perform at your optimum throughout the day.
5. Don’t work in long bursts; take adequate breaks.
There could be a tendency to keep working for hours at a stretch once you’re in the rhythm, but you should avoid doing it. The best way to make the most of a workday is to pace yourself in the day, not to stretch yourself excessively at times and fall flat at others. Keep your energy and motivation consistent throughout the day. Also, you have the luxury of listening to your body when you’re working from home. Go ahead and socialize or take a nap if your body signals it to you. Or hit the gym if you feel like you need to sweat it out a little. Use the flexibility to your advantage.
6. Establish boundaries with friends and family.
When you’re at home, you’re an open invitation for distractions. A family member might interrupt you, for instance, probably to ask you to do chores or to speak with you. Your friends might turn up at your house in the evening knowing that you’re at home — just when you have 30 minutes of work left in the day, disrupting your work schedule. For this reason, you should speak to your friends and family, and establish clear boundaries with them about when you’re busy and available. That way you can plan for not just high productivity during the day, but also for plenty of personal time with friends and family.